1 Happy are those whose way is blameless, who follow the teaching of Hashem.

ash-RAY t’-mee-may DA-rekh ha-ho-l’-KHEEM b’-to-RAT a-do-NAI

﻿א אַשְׁרֵי תְמִימֵי־דָרֶךְ הַהֹלְכִים בְּתוֹרַת יְהֹוָה׃

119:1 Happy are those whose way is blameless.

This psalm contains 176 verses of praise of Hashem, making it the longest chapter in the entire Tanach. It is an alphabetic acrostic in which each group of eight verses all begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and almost every verse focuses on the beauty of God’s Torah. Why is each letter repeated eight times? Kabbalistic teachings note that the natural order of the world corresponds to the number seven. For example, there are seven days in a week. The number eight, therefore, reflects that which is above nature, meaning the supernatural or the metaphysical. The eighth day after birth, therefore, is the day when a Jewish baby boy is circumcised, because it reflects the meta-historical connection between the Jew and Hashem. The Torah was given on the fiftieth day after the exodus, representing the day following a series of seven sevens. Eretz Yisrael also has a fifty-year cycle, with the yovel, the Jubilee year, occurring after forty-nine years, to remind us of the unique connection between Hashem and the Holy Land. The Nation of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel are all associated with the number eight. Each contains a supernatural element, and are all reflected in this unique psalm.

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Verse 1: Happy are those whose way is blameless, who follow the teaching of Hashem.
This is one of the most awesome chapters in the entire Bible! There are one hundred seventy-six verses, one hundred seventy-two of which are addressed directly to HaShem. The first three I consider as a preamble, the point and substance of the Psalm; and verse 115 is an aside rebuke of any evildoer who might want to distract the supplicant from his efforts to connect with his God in a more meaningful way. Almost every verse makes mention of or refers to His law, commandments, precepts, testimonies, judgments, statutes, word or His way.
In essence, Psalm 119 is prayer, serious prayer that draws the reader into a closeness with HaShem which no other portion of Scripture can enable. I believe that, and I read it out loud to be able to experience this psalm with as many senses as possible; it’s almost like reading it three times at one sitting—seeing it, speaking it, and hearing it. (Actually, I read all Scripture that way, but this portion has a much deeper relevance to my relationship with HaShem.)

We are told that this psalm contains 176 verses of not only praises to our Lord thy God, but also to the Greatness of His laws and covenants to the Jewish peoples. We are told and can actually see the beauty in the Words of God in the Torah. The beauty of the Wisdom and the Teachings of our God and feel the very love our God does have for his Children of Israel. We also learn that there is order in Gods world, in his nature and that there is a numerical order in his plans from the days in a week to the days to wait to safely perform a baby boys circumcised, Which interestingly it takes the blood 8 days to clot in a new born's blood. Only God would know this back then.

We are told that the Torah was given on the 5o th day. And the 50 th year is the year of the Jubilee, 50 year cycle. This to remind us of the Holy connection between God and Mankind. Between God and Israel, the Children of Israel. We learn through this psalm that there are very special connections between God and mankind, both physical and spiritual. Through the land and through the Torah, Through the Law of God, Fear of God Love of God. Israel has remained and will endure forever, Amen. Carl

Psalm 119, with its 176 verses, is dedicated to the law of God. In verse 93 the psalmist declares that he was kept alive by God's commandments.

I think the most widespread perception of laws is that they are restrictive. When I think about laws, my mind turns to what I must do or what I dare not do, if I want to stay out of trouble. So how does a law save my life?

When I read Ps 119:93 it hit me. It is knowledge of the law that keeps me alive. If I did not know about the law of gravity, I could decide to walk off a high building into the air. Knowledge of the laws of electricity keep electricians alive while they work on high voltage cables. Divers, miners, mechanics and many more need to know some natural laws if they want to stay alive.

Under certain circumstances a law requires that an aeroplane's fuel tank must be 40% full when it lands. Recently a man landed with little fuel at a place which did not have his kind of fuel. He decided to fly to the nearest refueling station and ran out of fuel in mid-air. He crashed the plane and died.

By law a driver is not to allowed to overtake by crossing over a solid line in the road. Many people who have survived head-on collisions appreciate the value of such laws.

Keeping God's laws can protect us from doing things that could kill us. In our day millions are dying of AIDS because they broke God's laws out of ignorance or willful disobedience. Others have defied God by doing violent crime and ended up dead.

Knowledge of God's moral laws can be very helpful, as the author of Psalm 119 found out centuries ago.

Psalm 119, with its 176 verses, is dedicated to the law of God. In verse 93 the psalmist declares that he was kept alive by God's commandments.

I think the most widespread perception of laws is that they are restrictive. When I think about laws, my mind turns to what I must do or what I dare not do, if I want to stay out of trouble. So how does a law save my life?

When I read Ps 119:93 it hit me. It is knowledge of the law that keeps me alive. If I did not know about the law of gravity, I could decide to walk off a high building into the air. Knowledge of the laws of electricity keep electricians alive while they work on high voltage cables. Divers, miners, mechanics and many more need to know some natural laws if they want to stay alive.

Under certain circumstances a law requires that an aeroplane's fuel tank must be 40% full when it lands. Recently a man landed with little fuel at a place which did not have his kind of fuel. He decided to fly to the nearest refueling station and ran out of fuel in mid-air. He crashed the plane and died.

By law a driver is not to allowed to overtake by crossing over a solid line in the road. Many people who have survived head-on collisions appreciate the value of such laws.

Keeping God's laws can protect us from doing things that could kill us. In our day millions are dying of AIDS because they broke God's laws out of ignorance or willful disobedience. Others have defied God by doing violent crime and ended up dead.

Knowledge of God's moral laws can be very helpful, as the author of Psalm 119 found out centuries ago

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About The Israel Bible

The Israel Bible is the world’s first Tanakh (Bible) centered around the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the dynamic relationship between them. Designed for both Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike, The Israel Bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain God’s focus on the Land of Israel alongside the original Hebrew text, transliteration of select Hebrew verses, and the New Jewish Publication Society translation.
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